Entranced (Guardian Academy 1)

Chapter 1

I’m the only human in the club. Well, except for Jayse Hale, my cousin and best friend on the entire planet. Although, human might be a stretch, considering we have Keeper’s blood pumping through our veins. At least, I’m pretty sure I do.

Technically, I haven’t gotten my Keeper’s mark yet, but Jayse has. The fiery ring of gold showed up on his shoulder almost a year ago when he turned sixteen. His parents, and my Aunt Aislin and Uncle Laylen, were ecstatic he inherited inhuman strength. It comes in useful for endeavors like tonight, when almost every creature near us is inhumanly strong and can easily kill an average person.

My parents, Alex and Gemma Avery, keep telling me it’s only a matter of time before my mark shows up. My mom, dad, and over half of my extended family bear the mark of a Keeper—warriors who protect the human race from all those scary things that go bump in the night. Things most people don’t believe exist. Believe me; they do exist. But, thanks to us lovely Keepers who kick ass and risk our lives daily, most people get to live their lives without ever crossing paths with vampires, werewolves, fey, and all kinds of otherworldly creatures.

Me, I get to stand in a room crammed with them.

The Black Dungeon is one of the many clubs in the city exclusively for anyone and everything who like to dip their feet, fangs, third eyes, or etc. into the dark side. The dress code to get in requires dark clothing, which is why I’m rocking a tight black tank, black jeans, and a pair of lace-up, thigh-high boots that make my already long legs look even longer. On top of that, you have to possess the Mark of Immortality. Jayse and I aren’t immortal, but thanks to Blaire, Jayse’s younger sister who has badass Wicca skills, we have temporary marks on our forearms, an illusion created by a magic spell. My unearthly violet eyes also give me an edge, the strangely unique color inherited from my mom and my grandpa Lucas.

“What are we looking for exactly?” Jayse asks me as we dance to the bass-driven song.

Lights shimmer above us, and a faint mist floats around my feet as I skim the sea of faces near me. Most of them appear to be human, but if I look closely enough, I can spot glowing eyes, scaly skin, and claws for hands. “We’re looking for someone. I already told you that.”

He leans in, coughing as the mist swirls up to our faces. “You keep saying someone, but clearly that someone is a something, so fess up.” He moves back, his bright blue eyes sparkling with amusement. Like me, he’s dressed from head to toe in black with studs on his belt and bands on his wrists, making him appear like an edgy, bad boy from the neck down, but his bright blue eyes and messy blond hair give him a pretty-boy look. “Alana Avery, what kind of trouble are you getting us into this time?”

“If I tell you, then you have to promise not to give me a big lecture on making bad choices.” Even though I’m five-nine, I have to tip my chin to look up at him—he’s that tall. “I’ve heard it way too many times.”

His lips quirk. “Well, if you didn’t make so many bad choices, I wouldn’t have to lecture you all the time.”

“That or you could just accept that your awesome best friend sometimes does crazy stuff, but it almost always plays out in our favor.”

“One day, it’s going to catch up with us.”

“Maybe you should stop coming with me if you’re so worried.”

“Imagine how much trouble you’d get into if you did,” he says with an arch of his brows.

“I can take care of myself.” I squint against the lights vibrantly flashing with the beat of the song. “Everyone thinks that just because I don’t have my mark, I can’t protect myself. I know what I’m doing. I’m not weak.” Everyone forgets that I’ve been in this life since I was born.

His expression softens. “No one said you are. We know you’re tough. We just care about you. Until you get the mark, so much bad stuff can still happen to you.”

I tuck a strand of my long, brown hair behind my ear. “I know. I’m sorry for complaining. I just get so frustrated sometimes.”

He shifts closer and whispers, “Is that why we’re here? So you can try to prove you can take care of yourself?”

“It’s freakin’ scary how well you know me,” I say with a defeated sigh.

“I’d be the biggest asshole if I didn’t. I mean, we’ve been best friends since we could walk. That’s a freakin’ long-ass time.”

I nod in agreement.

Our parents are best friends, and his mom is my dad’s sister, so we were kind of predestined to be best friends. It’s probably a good thing, too. While I like to do crazy, dangerous stuff, Jayse is more levelheaded and keeps an eye on me. He always seems to know when I’m up to something, like tonight.

The main reason I came to the Black Dungeon is because I heard Anastasiya is supposed to be here. She has major status in the vampire world and is the cause behind a ton of human deaths. The Keepers have wanted to get their hands on her for a while, but she typically stays off the radar and has a ton of bodyguards surrounding her when she does make her presence known.

“So, who are you trying to find?” Jayse asks, inching closer as sweaty bodies start to crowd us.

I pull a guilty face, nudging someone when they bump into me. “Anastasiya.”

His eyes widen. “Please tell me you’re joking. That you didn’t come here tonight to try and execute …” He casts a panicked glance around at the mob then leans in toward me. “We’ll never be able to kill her. She’s too powerful.”

“Not if we can get her alone,” I hiss under my breath. “She’s only powerful because she has her precious bodyguards. Take them away, and she’s just a regular, old vampire.”

“No vampire is just a regular, old vampire.” Frustration fills his voice. “And even if we could take her, her guards never leave her alone.”

“That’s not completely true. I know for a fact that, sometime around midnight, she’ll be on the roof alone all by her little old self.”

“How do you know that?”

“Um …” I chew on my lip guiltily. “I may have been tipped off by someone who can see into the future.”

“You went to Elliot?” His jaw ticks. “You know he’s not a reliable Foreseer. He probably lied to you to set you up.”

“He wouldn’t do that to me, Jayse … I know everyone doesn’t like Elliot, but he’s not as bad as everyone thinks. He just messed up that one time and no one will forgive him.”

“Messed up th

at one time. He tried to mess around with visions when he knew he wasn’t supposed to and almost set off an apocalypse. And the only reason that didn’t happen is because he was caught before he actually went through with it.”

“That was a long time ago, back when he was still learning how to control his psychic abilities. Even you messed up a lot when you were training,” I say. “Jayse, I’m really sorry, but I need to do this. You don’t understand the pressure I’m under from my mom and dad. They keep saying shit like, ‘When is Alana’s mark going to show up?’ And, ‘If she doesn’t get one, we’re going to have to send her somewhere safe.’ It’s starting to worry me.”

He gapes at me. “They’re talking about sending you away?”

I nod. “For my senior year. They think I should go to some boarding school across the country.”

“But you can’t move.” His lips pull to a sad smile. “My life would be way too dull without you.”

“So you’ll help me with this, then? Let me prove I’m stronger than everyone thinks?” I clasp my hands in front of me. “Please say yes, Jayse.”

He offers me an apologetic look. “I don’t want you to move away, but I can’t let you go through with this. It’s too risky. I’m sorry, but I’m texting for back up.” When I start to open my mouth, he talks over me. “I’m not arguing. I’m not going to let you risk your life.”

“We take risks like all the time. This isn’t any different.”

“Taking on”—he lowers his voice as he slips his hand into his pocket, retrieving his phone—“Anastasiya … You’ll get yourself killed.” He punches a few buttons on his phone. “We’ll find another way to keep you from moving, okay?”